Believe It
by LBthebookworm
Summary: Branch Frost has been alone for so many years. He longs for company, for a family, even though his attitude might lead you to believe otherwise. The Guardians of Childhood are in trouble when Chef, the Child Cooker, decides to tip the Balance. Whether they like it or not, their lives, as well as millions of children's, depend on a spirit that no one believes in. They're in trouble.
1. Prologue: The Frozen Lake

Prologue: The Frozen Lake

 _ **Darkness**_

 _ **That's the first thing I remember.**_

 _ **It was dark, and it was cold, and I was scared.**_

A young man was rising through the waters of a frozen lake. He had deep, azul hair that stood up over his head. His skin was a pale blue, and to top it all off, he had icy blue eyes. He wore a plain white, buttoned shirt with a brown cloak, brown pants, and no shoes.

 _ **But then,**_

The boy rose from the lake, the thick layer of ice broke, allowing him to escape.

 _ **I saw the moon.**_

He was pulled into the air by an invisible force. He turned, and his breathing hitched.

 _ **And it was so big and it was so bright, and it seemed to chase the darkness away.**_

The force set him back down, and he released a breath.

 _ **And when it did, I wasn't scared anymore.**_ _ **Why I was here and what I was meant to do, that I've never known.**_

He tried to walk, but slipped on the once-again-frozen-lake. He let out a chuckle.

 _ **And a part of me wonders if I ever will.**_

He tried walking again, but before he could take two steps, his foot hit a discarded tree branch. It was twisted in a way that resembled a Shepherd's staff. He tapped it with his foot. It almost seemed to glow. He carefully picked it up, and it glowed a bright blue. His jaw dropped as frost spread across the lake's surface. It was incredible. Was he doing this? He headed to the edge of the lake, and tapped a tree with his staff. Frost spread across the tree's bark. The boy smiled, and an idea came to mind. He suddenly began to run around the frozen lake, a trail of elegant frost following him. He laughed, then jerked the staff one way, hoping to create more frost, but found himself being jerked into the air by the wind. It was exhilarating, to be flying, but he wasn't very good at it, so he crashed into a tree, not far from the lake. Even though he almost broke his neck, he couldn't help but laugh.

The boy saw bright lights, then glanced over, seeing a small village. He grinned, and started flying towards the village. As he got closer, he realized the lights came from pods hanging from the tree branches. They were so pretty, he just had to get a closer look.

He crashed right on the edge of the village. As he passed by a villager, he cried, "Hello!" rather excitedly. The villager, however, did not seem to notice him.

 _That's rude,_ the boy thought, but he shrugged it off.

He waved to a passing woman. "Good evening," he said happily, but she nor her friend, acknowledged him. Once again he shrugged it off.

Then he saw a small child playing with a dog, chasing it around. "Hello! Can you tell me where I am?" He asked politely, right before the small child ran through him, as if he was nothing but air. The boy gasped in pain. What was this feeling? He looked down, and his heart dropped as he noticed something devastating. He was no longer blue. His skin was gray. How?

"Hello? Hello!" He called, as random villagers began to walk through him. He ran into the forest and hid. He didn't understand what was happening. Why was this happening?

 _ **My name is Branch Frost.**_

 _ **How do I know that? The Moon told me. That was all he ever told me.**_

 _ **And that was a long, long time ago.**_

 **...**

 **I decided to rewrite this story so it makes more sense.**


	2. Chapter 1: Meet the Guardians

Chapter 1: Meeting the Guardians

300 Years Later

Up in a workshop on top of the tallest tree in the coldest forest, there was a man sitting in an office, working on a tiny, wooden toy train. As he was building the train, he sang along to an old, classical song:

"Buh buh, ZANC!"

He carefully worked on the small train, using special tools to add as much detail as possible.

"Buh buh, ZANC!"

He used beautiful paints to give it a unique and colorful pattern.

"Buh buh buh buh, ZANC!"

He gently placed the train onto a roller-coaster like track and leaned forward to watch the train move along the track. He let out a laugh.

If you look at his face, you would see the face of St. Peppy. To everyone but the other immortals, he was known as The Giver. He continued to laugh as the train went through a loop-de-loop, and went flying off a ramp. All of the sudden, wings emerged from the toy train, causing it to soar like an airplane, and Peppy smiled again, seeing that his new invention worked, right before a large, hairy goblin slammed the door open.

"Gliiiiby boddsie!" the goblin screamed, as the door smashed the airborne train.

"Gah!" Cried Peppy.

"Ohh!" Responded the goblin.

"Gah!"

"Ohh!"

"Gah."

"Ohh?"

"How many times have I told you to knock?!" Cried Peppy, pinching the bridge of his nose. The goblin gave a quick apology, but then, in a worried tone, said, "Sedie aqu mappe!" Peppy gave the goblin a strange look. "What's wrong with the map?"

They headed to the map room, to see many goblins and elves staring at a large diagram of every forest, desert, and town covered in pale blue lights. "Shoo, with your bright clothes, you're giving me a headache!" Peppy told the elves as he made his way to the parchment. He stared at it for a second, before noticing that the lights were flickering. And not just one or two, but thousands at a time. "What is this?" He asked, as entire villages started to go out. "Have you checked the senors? Is it hanging crooked?" He asked a blue goblin. The goblin shrugged.

Then, suddenly, black sand began to swirl around the Globe. Peppy's jaw hit the floor, and the black sand exploded off the Globe.  
The sand then grouped together, and formed a silhouette of a woman that flew around the Globe, releasing a blood-curdling cackle, before disappearing.  
"Can it be?" Peppy wondered. "Aspen!" Several elves straightened at their leader's call, doing goofy military stances. "Get cookies and eggnog ready! We are going to have company." Peppy twisted and pushed a lever, causing bright Aurora Borealis to emit from the tree and to travel to the sky.

 **My fellow Guardians,**

The northern lights traveled to a large palace in the hills, with little fairies coming in and out of it.

 **It is our job to watch over the children of the world, and to keep them safe.**

All the fairies were either leaving with a fluffy marshmallow, or bringing a tooth and placing it in the right box on the right shelf in the right column. In the midst of all the fairies was a much larger one. While the others were barely the size of a child's palm, the big one was about the size of a grown woman. She looked like the others, but her skin and hair was completely pink, and pulled into a thick, high ponytail.

Her name was Poppy, better known as the Marshtato Fairy. She kept directing the smaller fairies to the correct addresses, when she suddenly called out for a fairy to "Wait!" The mini-fairy was startled, and handed the tooth she carried to Poppy. Poppy gently took it and smiled. "It's her first tooth! Have you ever seen a more adorable lateral incisor in all your life? Look how she flossed! Please tell she got the sweetest marshtato in the bunch." Poppy practically screamed with excitement.

Then, one of the mini-fairies let out a squeak. Poppy gasped as she saw the northern lights, and took off after the rainbow trail with several mini-fairies not far behind.

 **To bring wonder, hopes, dreams, and to protect their memories.**

An old woman sat on a cloud of turquoise glitter. She was very short, barely four feet tall. Her name was Rosiepuff, but the other immortals called her "Granny".

To children, she was known as the Sandwoman.

 **So that is why I have called you here for one reason and one reason only.**

Granny was spreading dreams to children's heads, when she looked up, and saw the northern lights. She quickly changed her cloud into an airplane, and headed straight to the North Pole.

 **The children are in danger.**

A tall man was bounding on all fours through a tunnel. His name was Creek, the Pranker.

 **An enemy we have kept a bay for centuries has finally decided to strike back.**

Creek finally emerged from the tunnels about a quarter mile from the workshop. He had a triumphant smirk on his face until the cold weather set in. "Uhh, it's freezing!" He begun to bound towards the workshop's tree like a rabbit, while screaming, "My feet! I can't feel my feet!" His voice had a thick Australian accent.

 **And so my fellow Guardians, I call you here,**

All the Guardians met in the map room. "Peppy better have a good reason for calling us here," Creek muttered under his breath.

 **Because only _we_ can stop her.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **...**

 **I put character descriptions here because it would be kinda long-winded to put them in the story.**

 **Peppy: Wears a red/pink shirt with a diamond pattern, a red belt, black pants that go up to his belly-button, and black boots with a red trim. He's a bit taller than in the movie, but he looks about the same.**

 **Poppy: _See fairy description, then see above._**

 **Granny: Has silver/turquoise hair, purple skin, and jade green eyes. Imagine her cloud of sand has random flecks of yellow glitter mixed in with the turquoise. She wears a long dress that matches her glitter cloud and a green sweater covered in hearts.**

 **Creek: Has thick, blue, wavy hair and light purple skin. He only wears yellow pants and a leather belt that holds all kinds of weapons.**

 **Fairies:** **They all have curly aqua green hair, with streaks of blue, pink, or purple. Their eyes are light pink or green. They have light pink or blue skin, and aqua green, transparent wings. They each wore tiny lockets that have their names written inside, purple, shimmering sandals, and all they have a purple and blue gown and a plain green headband, both of which are made of silk.**

 **Goblins: basically Fuzzbert.**

 **Elves: adorable creatures, about two feet tall, with hair that is pulled into funny styles that are red or green in in color, and they have skin that is pink or white. their eyes are always orange, and they wear glittery green jumpsuits with simple, black boots.**


	3. Chapter 2: The New Guardian

**Merry Christmas everybody!**

 **...**

Chapter 2: The New Guardian

"Alright Peppy you better have a good reason for dragging us here," Creek was not happy. He was very frustrated in fact. Why did Peppy have to call them here? Everything here at the workshop seemed to be fine! And let's not forget what day it was!

While Poppy was ordering her mini-fairies around, not really paying attention to anything, Granny was signing a question mark and an alarm clock over here head. Granny couldn't speak, so she would often sign symbols with her hair to communicate with others. Peppy took her sign as "You know that I'm on a tight schedule, right?"

"Yes Granny, but I wouldn't have called you all here if it wasn't serious." All eyes turned to Peppy, even Poppy and the mini-fairies'. Seeing that everyone was listening he said, rather dramatically, "The Child Cooker was here," he paused, "at the pole!"

"Chef? She was here?" Poppy questioned, unsure.

"Yes! There was black glitter covering the Globe!"

"What do you mean black glitter? Can glitter even be black?" Creek interrupted.

Peppy ignored him, "...and then, a shadow!"

Creek felt annoyed, "I thought you said you saw Chef?" Peppy stopped, suddenly sheepish.

"Well not exactly..."

"Not exactly? Can you believe this guy?" Creek looked to Granny, who signed a question mark. "Yah, you said it Granny." He turned to Poppy, hoping for more support, but she was once again engrossed in giving her fairies orders. Did this poor girl never take a break? Creek sighed, remembering his breathing techniques.

"Look," Creek turned back to Peppy. "I know what I saw! She is up to something very bad!" His voice became quiet, "I can feel it! In my mustache!"

Creek was furious. "You mean that you summoned me three days before Prank Day, because of your mustache?!" He exclaimed. "If I did this to you three days before the harvest moon..."

"Creek, no offense, but Prank Day is not the Harvest Festival."

Granny rolled hers, annoyed that she would have to listen to this fight for the hundredth time. She was about ready to sneak out, but she suddenly saw a bright light, and looked up to see the Moon, shining down on the pole. She looked to the others, but Poppy was still giving orders, and Peppy and Creek were still fighting.

"You know what, I've still got two million pranks to finish setting up!"

Granny jumped around to get their attention.

"No matter how much work you put in, they're still just jokes. Kids love presents way more."

Granny jumped again, this time waving a sand flag over her head.

"That's right! I've only got a few days to set up! Meanwhile you've got a whole year to prepare!"

Granny jumped, this time with a music note over her head. She had two fingers in her mouth, and was trying to whistle, but no sound came out.

Suddenly they turned, Granny thought she had their attention, but really they turned to complain to Poppy, who had accidentally interrupted their conversation as she absently flew around.

Peppy looked over to Poppy, "Poppy, can't you see we're trying to argue?"

Poppy snorted, "Sorry! Not all of us only have to work one night a year! Am I right, Granny?"

Granny smiled, and frantically pointed at the moon. Poppy stared at her for a second, before going back to commanding her fairies. Granny face-palmed.

"Why are you always so nervous?"

"And why are you such a blow-hard?"

"We have a crisis here!"

"Well I have a crisis with some buckets of frosting. Guess we're both out of luck!"

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Everyone stopped, and turned to see Granny hold a pair of toy symbols. She had a peeved look on her face and pointed to a crescent moon above her head, then pointed to the moon in the sky. Peppy was the first to notice. "Ahh, Troll in Moon! Granny, why didn't you say something?" If looks could kill, Granny would pulverize Peppy.

Peppy smiled. "It's been a long time, old friend! What's the news?"

A moon beam shined onto a special patch in the floor, and a laughing shadow appeared in the middle of it.

"It is Chef." Creek was worried. Peppy was smug. "Timmy, what must we do?" He questioned. Suddenly, the floor opened up, and a flower bud rose up. Poppy smiled. "Guys, you know what this means, right?"

Peppy couldn't believe it! "He's choosing a new Guardian!"

"Why?" Creek questioned.

"Must be big deal. Timmy thinks we need help."

"Since when do we need Help?"

Poppy rolled her eyes at Creek. She looked over to Granny. "Who do you think it's gonna be?" Granny signed a four leaf clover. "Maybe Guy Diamond? He usually does a pretty good job with Glitterpalooza." Poppy translated.

"Please not DJ. Please not her." Creek muttered under his breath. DJ was the spirit of the annual music festival. She and Creek were constantly at each other's throats. The bud opened, and a bust of glitter shot from it. The sparkles merged with each other, and a form began to take shape.

"Branch Frost," Peppy said, a little shocked.

"I take it back! DJ's fine!"

Poppy let out a dreamy sigh, then blushed, realizing everyone was watching her. "As long as h-he promises to protect the ch-children, right?"

"Branch Frost?!" Creek cried "He doesn't care about kids! All he does is freeze water fronts and march around the forest hunting for monsters! Okay? He's a selfish, cowardly..."

"Guardian." Peppy stated.

"Branch Frost is many things, but he is not a Guardian."

Little did Creek know, Branch would soon prove him to be very wrong.

 **...**

 **Special thanks to KAEL and Reby Montana. Thank you so much for the reviews. Loved reading your observations, and to answer your questions:**

 **1\. No, Peppy and Poppy are not related, but they are very close. They've known each other the longest, and I really want to do a good job of showing that father-daughter relationship.**

 **2\. I think this chapter answered this, but in case it wasn't clear to anyone, Chef is Pitch.**

 **If anyone else is confused on anything, I'm sorry. I'm not the best writer, and I'll be happy to clear anything up.**


	4. Chapter 3: Don't Even Exist

Chapter 3: Don't Even Exist

Branch happily snuck through the forest, the very definition of stealth. The last thing on his list today was stoutberries, and he knew where the best place to find them was. Although the path to them was fraught with one of the scariest beast in the entire world: children.

Branch suppressed a shudder. He could do this, in and out. Moving as quickly as possible, he stumbled through the forest. No signs of any children. "The Pranker is real!" a small voice called out. Branch sighed. "Of course." he groaned. Of all the children to be out in the forest it just had to be Keith.

Branch knew that little one had a bad habit of getting into trouble, and he couldn't risk him stumbling upon his stash. So naturally, Branch did the only thing he could: spy on the Keith and his friends.

It's not as creepy as it sounds.

He quickly tracked them down and tried to see what they were up to. Branch let the wind pick him up and carry him above the little ones' heads. Keith, along with his two friends, were all sitting in a circle, and discussing different books. That made sense. After all, Keith did love telling stories.

"Come on, Keith. A spirit who sneak around the night before Prank Day and pranks bullies and mean kids?" his friend CJ asked. "Grow up."

"What about this one? It's all about the legend of Branch Frost." Keith's other friend, Priscilla suggested. CJ. "Who's Branch Frost?" she asked. Branch's jaw dropped. How had this girl never heard of him? Branch smirked, an idea forming. He held out a hand, and a bit of frost spread across the girl's nose. She let out a violent sneeze. Branch felt some pride at the small victory.

"You okay, CJ?" Keith asked the girl. "Branch Frost nipping at your nose?"

Cj just shrugged. "I still don't know who he is." she said.

Branch rolled his eyes. "Okay, guess you're all not going anywhere." he concluded. "So I'm going to go." and with that, the wind carried Branch away.

Not too long after, however, an argument broke out among the children. "It's way too hot for sledding! There's no snow!" One of the kids, Benjamin, argued.

"There is up on Bird Cliff." Keith offered. A shudder passed through the group. "Bird Cliff?" They all echoed. Keith nodded. "It'll be fun!" He said. Nobody really believed him.

...

Branch had found the stoutberries, and now he could go home. He smiled as he flew between the pods of the Troll Village. He liked this place more than Bergan town and the Party Crashes' hub. Maybe it was because he resembled the trolls the most out of any species he had encountered, but it was probably just the strange connection he felt to the village.

There were so many people having rotten days. Well, not him. His day was going so good, he didn't think it could get any better. A burst of air lifted him higher into the sky, and he found himself flying towards his bunker.

He was already imagining curling up on his bed with a good book and relaxing for the rest of the evening. At least, until he heard a scream coming from Bird Cliff. Branch's eyes widened. "This just proves birds are evil." he whispered to himself.

As he drifted down to the ridge, he realized it was the scream had come from those rotten kids, cornered by a pack of grossum. So, no evil birds, just hungry grossums. If he left now, Branch wouldn't get hurt. But as annoying as they could be, he wasn't just going to let them die. He noticed a couple of broken hang-gliders stuck in the rocks, and an idea formed.

He swooped down with one of the hang-gliders, and gathered up Priscilla and CJ. The wind tripled in speed, and the pair was blasted away. They landed in the forest, and Branch smiled. Then horror struck; he had forgotten Keith. He dashed back to the cliff, grabbed the other hang-glider, and flew around the place. He spotted Keith, thankfully okay, but still surrounded by the wolves.

"Hang on, kid! I got you..." Branch reassured. He moved his staff slightly, and the wind blew the hang-glider right into Keith's hands. Keith barely managed to latch on. The wolves pawed at him as the glider lifted Keith up. Branch skillfully directed the glider out of their reach, and shot it up into the air.

Keith tightened his grip, and let out a revealed breath, happy to be away from the hungry pack. Soon, the hang-glider landed on the ground, and Keith began to giggle. He wasn't entirely sure why he was giggling, but he was, and he felt awesome.

Branch stared at the boy. He had almost died! and he was laughing. What? How? Why?

Branch snorted, and soon, he found himself giggling just as bad. Before they knew it, both of them were on the ground, tears pouring down their cheeks and laughing like little chipperdees. When they managed to calm themselves, Branch heard a voice. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?!"

He tried to reply, but a cold, dark feeling cut him off. "Yeah. I'm fine." Keith answered, walking right through Branch as if he wasn't there.

He wasn't there.

Branch looked at his hand. He seemed to loose more color with everyone who walked through him.

He watched the children all chatter about what had just happened, and let out a sigh. With that, Branch picked up his staff, and flew away.

 **...**

 **So to answer the question from last chapter, I'm honestly not sure if Suki and GD will show up in this story. They might, but I know for a fact I want to write Cloud Guy into this.**

 **(I had originally had written it so this was set in a more modern world where the trolls were human, but I decided to change it with the rewrite. Sorry for any confusion)**


	5. Chapter 4: Some Friendly Advice

Chapter 4: Some Friendly Advice

"You should have seen it LuLu!" Keith told his baby sister. "I was flying over the rocks like some sort of super hero!"

Branch sat on the windowsill of the pod, a small smile on his face. Happy to see Keith was okay, he quickly flew off, not wanting to bother the kids. He soon found himself up on Slippery Slope, tallest mountain around, and his favorite place to think.

He sat down on one of the slippery rocks, and stared at the giant full moon above him. "It's me again." he said, voice small. He shifted awkwardly. Why was he doing this? Branch stood up, and made to leave, but something stopped him. He sat back down.

"Why am I here?" he asked, voice hollow. "It doesn't matter what I do, but no one ever sees me." Why was he even talking about this? It didn't matter.

Branch felt anger spark in his chest. Yes, it did matter. He mattered.

And he had been alone for so, so long. "You put me here." Branch said, voice cold and hateful. "Can you please just tell me why?"

No answer. "Of course." Branch spat.

"PITY THE POOR SPIRIT WHO KNOWS NO LOVE!" a resounding voice echoed through the hill. Branch jumped in surprise.

"Who said that?" Branch demanded. He looked around for any sign of danger. There could be some sort of monster, or a ghost, or even a demon.

"IT WAS... me." The loud and scary voice dropped, and a familiar Matchmaker appeared. "Definitely a demon." Branch muttered under his breath. What did _he_ want?

"It's been a long time." Cloud Guy said, walking over to Branch. "How have you been?" he asked curiously.

Branch glared at the cherub. "I've been okay, despite the fact an annoying puff ball keeps interfering with my work."

Cloud Guy laughed. "It's just some harmless fun, Dumpy Diapers. Loosen up."

Branch pointed the end of his staff at the cupid. "Unless you're here to apologize for messing up that blizzard last year, I suggest you leave." he threatened. Then Cloud Guy did something very stupid, even for him. He leaned onto the staff, and gave Branch the most irritating smirk possible.

"I would." He said. "But I'm actually here for something else."

Branch frowned in confusion. Cloud Guy had that look on his face, the one where you know he has an evil plan. Branch didn't have a chance to ponder this further, as Cloud Guy quickly shoved him in a burlap sack.

"Hey! What the-" Branch's voice became muffled as Cloud Guy tied the top of the bag. Cloud Guy smirked wickedly. It was all going according to plan.

...

Poppy fluttered around the workshop. Creek idly tapped his foot. Granny was busy knitting a scarf. The only one who wasn't fidgeting was Peppy. "Wonder when they'll get here." he thought aloud.

Cloud Guy, ever the master of perfect timing, appeared then with a sack slung over his shoulder.

"I brought you a present!" he said cheerily. "Am I back on the nice list?"

Peppy smiled, and patted the cupid's head. "No."

Cloud Guy smirked, not at all bothered by the rejection. "That's fine. I'll just take a favor for later." he said, and flew out a nearby window. The four Guardians watched him leave, and turned their attention to the sack. They all exchanged looks, and Creek made to open it. Branch shot out of the bag and sent a blast of icicles at Creek, who barely managed to dodge in time.

Branch looked absolutely livid, but his expression calmed slightly when he realized where he was. "Welcome!" Peppy exclaimed. He walked over to Branch and frantically shook his hand. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you, Branch."

Despite all the respect Branch had for the Giver, a scowl still occupied his face. "Yeah, it was a real pleasure getting kidnapped and flying thousands of miles in a sack."

Peppy's smile widened. "Good. That was my idea." He released Branch's hand, and began introductions. "You can call me Peppy, and you already know Creek." He gestured to said spirit, who nodded in Branch's direction.

"This is our beautiful marshtato fairy, Poppy."

Poppy fluttered over to Branch. "It's so nice to meet you Branch!" she buzzed. "I've heard so much about you!" She leaned in, making Branch blush. "And your teeth!"

Branch blinked. "My what?"

Poppy ignored the question, and pried his mouth open. "They're such an odd shape, but they're in perfect alignment and beautiful condition. They're so clean, they practically sparkle like freshly fallen snow!" She poked and prodded them. "And not a spot on them!"

Creek snorted. "Poppy, we've talked about putting fingers in mouths." he chastised. The fairy realized what she was doing, and withdrew. "Sorry." she apologized.

"And this is Granny!" Peppy continued. The sand-woman nodded her head at him, and waved. He waved awkwardly back. Clutching his staff, he moved around the room.

"So... is anyone going to explain why I'm here?" he asked. Granny smiled, and a series of undecipherable symbols flashed over her head. "That's not really helping. Sorry." Branch told her.

"We asked you here because now... You are a Guardian!" Peppy said happily. He pulled out a large book containing the Guardian oath, and several elves swarmed into the room carrying assorted party supplies.

Branch's jaw dropped. "What?"

Anger crossed across his features. "What makes you think I want to be a guardian?" he demanded. Peppy blinked for a moment, before laughing. Poppy joined in with her own giggles, and even Granny struggled to hold in her amusement.

"I'm serious!" he yelled. That snapped everyone out of it. "You spend all your time thinking about kids and the stuff you do for them. I spend all my time preparing for the worst. I'm not a Guardian." Branch explained.

"That is exactly what I've been saying." Creek said.

Poppy shot a glare at him. "Not helping." she scolded. She turned her pinks eyes back to Branch. "Branch, I don't think you understand what we do."

She flew up to a large map that Branch had somehow failed to notice. "Each of those lights is a child. A child we protect, no matter who they are, or what they've done."

"It is a great honor. Only those who are worthy are chosen." Peppy explained.

"Then choose someone else!" Branch shouted.

A chill passed through the room, and anything within three feet of the angry spirit froze solid.

"See!" Creek exclaimed, and pointed at the ice. "I knew something like this would happen. He's just a trouble-maker, and that's all he'll ever be."

Branch tensed at the words, before spitting an insult back at him. "At least I never sold out my friends to save my own skin."

The entire room went quiet. Creek looked like a scolded puppy. The situation was tense, so Peppy only had one option.

"Branch, come with me."

 **...**

 **Cloud Guy's Cupid. Because why not? He did set up that hug for Branch and Poppy, even if Keith interrupted them.**


	6. Chapter 5: Your Center

Chapter 5: Your Center

Branch followed after the older spirit, but he struggled to keep up. There was so much flying around them, and something new would block their paths every few seconds. Giant boxes carried by goblins, little tools carried by elves, toys all over the floor... this place was a mess.

But Peppy seemed to have mastered a method to this madness.

"Ornaments were supposed to be shipped out two days ago! Pick up the pace!" he called out. Some of the goblins nodded, before continuing with their work. Peppy stopped by one of the booths, where an elf was painting a toy horse green. "Horses aren't green, paint it brown." he ordered.

Branch snickered when he realized the poor elf would have to repaint about a dozen green rocking horses. Poor thing.

"I don't see how you can stand all this mess." Branch observed.

Peppy gave him a knowing smile. "You get used to it. And..." Peppy brought him a room on the other side on the chaotic workshop. It was quiet and secluded. "I have somewhere where I can be alone."

He brought the young spirit into a smaller workshop, built for maybe three or four people to work in, with two desks covered in tools and knick-knacks. Branch walked into the room, and looked around. "Nice place." he complimented.

Peppy grinned. "Thank you. It is a good place to talk."

"Talk?" Branch echoed.

Peppy suddenly slammed the oak door shut, and marched over to the boy. Branch shrunk under the older spirit's gaze. "Who are you, Branch Frost?" he demanded.

Branch flushed, his entire face turning purple. "What?" he asked.

"Who are you?" Peppy repeated. "What is your center?"

"My center?" Branch was so confused. What was this guy talking about?

Peppy pursed his lips, before an idea appeared in his head. He pulled a hair pod off a nearby shelf. "Let's pretend for a moment, that this pod is me."

"But it's a pod." Branch interrupted.

"It's a metaphor." Peppy explained. "Looking at it, all you see is something covered in bright colors. It looks happy and vibrant... but if you peel back the layers..." Peppy pulled it open, and inside was a tiny fairy doll.

"There's a tiny, wooden Tinkerbell?" Branch asked. Peppy scowled. "No, look closer." he instructed, placing the doll in Branch's hands.

He observed the doll for a moment. "It's got a big head." he offered.

"Exactly!" Peppy said, patting Branch's shoulder. "I have a very big head!"

"And that's a good thing?" Branch asked.

Peppy laughed, setting the toy back on the shelf. "It's a very good thing. My head is big because it's filled with ideas. Big, crazy ideas." Peppy flailed his arms around to show his point. "That is why I give toys to children, you know."

Branch was even more confused. "You give toys to kids because you have crazy ideas?" That's just creepy.

"I give children toys because I know what it's like to have people suppress your creative side.'' He pressed his hand onto Branch's shoulder. "I want them to express their crazy ideas. That is my purpose. My _center_."

He leaned in. "What is yours?"

Branch sucked in a breath, and sighed. "I don't know." he admitted.

Peppy smiled. "You'll figure it out. Whatever it is, it's why you were chosen."

So Branch had been kidnapped and dubbed a Guardian for some stupid reason no one knew but the Troll in the Moon? Great, just great.

"Uhh, guys?" Creek's annoying voice broke through Branch's thoughts. What could he possibly want?

"There's trouble at the Tooth Palace."

...

...

...

"So, wait... what's happening?" Branch asked as he was being yanked along by Poppy.

"We're going to the ice caves." She answered. She quickly opened a random door in the workshop, and it revealed a long, frozen staircase deep into the tree. "We need to hurry." she said in an authoritative tone. She quickly began to fly down the tunnel, and Branch followed close behind.

"What exactly is going on?" Branch repeated, sliding down the steps with ease.

"According to one of my scouts, the Palace is under attack." she pressed her palms into her eyes. "But that's all I know."

Branch accepted the explanation, but another question soon formed. "Why are we transversing this hazard then?" Ice wasn't really a problem for Branch, but still.

"Peppy's letting us use his sleigh to get there." Poppy said, fear gone and voice filled with excitement.

Branch tried (and failed) to hide a smile at the fairy's tone. "Sounds like fun, but how fast can we really go in a rickety, old sleigh?"

Poppy laughed, chuckles making her shoulders shake. "What's so funny?"

She didn't answer, as they came to the end of the tunnel. Poppy opened the door, and revealed a large, beautifully crafted sleigh. Branch's jaw dropped. He darted over the it, and ran a hand along the surface. "Mahogany structure with a fine, sanded surface." he bent down to look a the rudders. "Titanium blades." He checked the inside next. "Leather seating with comfortable leg-room." Branch ran around the to the back, "Rocket boosters with..." he gasped, and the joy in his eyes made it appear as though his colors were back. "A remote." he said awed.

He picked it up carefully. "I'm going to call you Gary." he whispered, wrapping it up in a hug.

"Please don't name my stuff." Peppy requested, walking in with Granny and Creek. "Or least give it a name that isn't so... unadorned." Creek suggested. Granny rolled her eyes at the two, before walking over to Branch. She gently removed the remote from his hands, and sprinkled some glitter on it. While Branch wasn't too thrilled about the sparkles, he was happy it read Gary's name.

It was official, Granny was his favorite.

"Enough distractions! We need to leave now!" Peppy ordered.

"I'm not sure that's the best option." Creek interrupted. "I think my tunnels would faster... and much, much safer."

Peppy wasn't having any of that. He quickly picked up the Easter bunny, and dumped him in the sleigh. The older spirit whistled, and several swag stags flew in. Peppy fastened them in, and climbed in. "Everyone buckled up?" he asked.

Creek searched the seats. "Where are the seat belts?"

"There are none." Peppy said, before whipping the reigns. The sleigh jolted forward, and they took off through the ice caves.

 **...**

 **Something fun about Peppy in the Beat Goes On is he loves making ships in bottles... out of hair.**


	7. Chapter 6: The Child Cooker

**Finally, another chapter. It's poorly written, but at least it's not 500 words.**

 **...**

Chapter 6: The Child Cooker

Granny's hands were high above her head, and there was a giant smile on her face. If she could talk, she would be yelling at the top of her lungs. Faster, Faster! she wanted to scream. But if they went any faster, poor Creek might have a heart attack.

"How much longer till we get there?" Creek screeched over the roaring winds. "Not long!" Poppy assured him.

She leaned in and whispered in Branch's ear. "It going to be at least two hours." Branch snickered.

They flew for some more, before the air cleared of snow and Branch was given a view of a bright, pink sky. Beneath them, there were fields and fields of marshtatoes. "Wow." Branch said in awe. He leaned over the edge, (not too much, he didn't want to fall) and gazed at the beautiful land. Poppy leaned over too.

"I know, right?" she chimed in. "Everyday, all the time, I get to pick marshtatoes from those fields and spread them to children all over the world."

Branch nodded, understanding why someone would enjoy that, but... "You trade the marshtatoes for teeth, right?"

"Yep." Poppy answered.

"Doesn't that make them rot and fall out?" The Marshtato Fairy turned pinker. "Well, when you put it like _that_..."

"Everyone ready?" Peppy demanded, cutting into their conversation. "Because we're here!"

In front of the sleigh was a giant, pink castle. It was surrounded by fields of puffy marshtatoes. Sparkling, silvery vines grew all along the tall spires. It was absolutely beautiful.

But then, a shadow sailed past the sleigh, so fast Branch couldn't even make out its shape. "What is that?" Creek asked.

"I think you mean 'what was that?'" Peppy corrected.

"No." Creek rebuffed. "What is that?" he asked, pointing at another shadow heading towards them. It seemed to spread out into smaller shadows, and flew in circles around the skies.

As they flew closer to the shadow swarm, it became obvious that the shadows were meant to look like bergens, and that they were undeniably made of black glitter. And as they flew in their messy patterns, the Guardians realized that they were latching onto the mini-marshtato fairies.

Branch suddenly jumped up out of the sleigh, and grabbed a fairy from one of the begens. He flew through the swarm, and landed back on the sleigh. "I believe this is yours." he said, handing the fairy back to Poppy. She gratefully took her from him. "Are you alright?" she asked the tiny, blue-haired fairy. She nodded, and whispered something to Poppy.

Peppy snapped the reigns of the sleigh, and steered the reindeer so that they would chase after one of the shadows. "Take the reigns." he said the Granny, who happily obliged.

Peppy climbed up on the front of the sleigh, and pulled a broadsword out of his hair. He swung it at the bergen, and it broke apart, spilling the black glitter all over the place. Creek reached a hand out to grab what the monster had been holding. Instead of an innocent fairy, this one had had a small, green pod in its clutches.

Granny signed a tooth over her head, and Poppy's eyes widened in horror. She quickly jumped off the sleigh, and made her way inside the palace. Her fellow guardians weren't too far behind.

They watched her in pity as she flew around her palace, looking for something. "They took all the teeth..." she said, searching through a large, empty shelf. "And my fairies." she couldn't see anyone making their usual rounds in and out of the palace. "It's all gone..." she said, sinking to the floor.

The fairy Branch rescued earlier made a coughing sound, catch her leader's attention. "I guess you're still here, Harper." Poppy said, before wrapping the tiny fairy in a hug.

 **"I have to say..."** a hair-raising voice echoed through the large castle, making the already dejected atmosphere tense. **"This is very, very exciting."**

The guardians looked for the source of the voice, and nearly jumped in surprise when they realized that Chef was standing on a balcony above them. **"The big four, all in one place. I'm a little star-struck."**

This was Branch's first time seeing her. She had dark, purple skin, a tangles mess of bright blue hair, the creepiest eyes Branch had ever seen, and to top it all off, she was wearing a black, worn out chefs uniform.

 **"Did you like my show in your little map room, Peppy?"** she purred. **"It got you all together, didn't it?"**

"Chef, you have about three seconds to return my fairies!" Poppy threatened, voice filled with venom.

 **"Or what?"** Chef asked, amused. **"You'll put a marshmallow under my pillow?"**

Poppy scowled at the bergen, and her face turned bright red. She flew up to the balcony, ready to smack the bergen, but Chef simply shuffled into the shadows, and appeared on another balcony.

"Why are you doing this?" Creek demanded.

The sadistic grin dropped from her face, and was replaced by an angry scowl. **"It's simply because I want you have: to be believed in."**

Branch felt a sharp pang in his chest. If anyone knew that feeling, it was him. "Maybe that's what you deserve!" Creek snapped.

Chef ignored him. She instead turned her attention to the youngest spirit of the bunch. **"Is that Branch Frost?"** she asked, disappearing again.

 **"Since when are you all BFFs?"** she asked, appearing behind him.

"We're not." he answered.

Chef hummed, before continuing with her monologue. "Bet you're all wondering what I'm up to."

Poppy flew at her, raising a fist and releasing a war cry. But another bergen sprang up in front of Chef and screeched at Poppy. **"There, there, Chad..."** Chef whispered. She ran a hand down his shoulder, and some of the glitter stuck to her fingers. **"Look familiar, Sandwoman?"** she said, holding it out towards Granny.

 **"Took me a while to perfect this little trick. Turning dreams into nightmares..."** Chef cooed. As she began another monologue, Branch found himself tuning her out. He already knew where she came from... where they all came from.

Chef was a power-hungry psychopath who had been a chef in her past life. For hundreds of years, she had terrorized children with haunting images of them and their friends being cooked into pies and other deserts.

Then, four of the most powerful spirits in the world were chosen to defeat her. Now she was back, and she wanted revenge and blah blah blah blah...

 **"And before you know it, everything you represent, and everything the children love about you, it'll all be gone. It's you're turn to not be believed in."** Chef spat, before disappearing from the palace.


End file.
